Planooraph co



H. P. SMITH.

WII'IE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HAIR PIN MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY21. 1918.

'1 ,309,662, Patented July 15, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR I fi'wzfi ATTORNEY rm: COLUMBIA FLANDURAI'H cO-.WASHINGTON. D. C.

H. P. SMITH.

WIRE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HAIR PIN MACHINES.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAY 21. 1918.

'1 09,662. Patented July 15, 1919.

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//f WITNESSES: I 0 INVENTOR wgagy ATTOR N 'mn COLUMBIA PLANOOIAPII (10..vlAllllKo'roN. h. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER P. SMITH, OF APPLETON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD T0 F.EDWARD SAEGKER AND ONE-THIRD TO HERMAN G. SAECKER, BOTH OF APPLETON,WIS- CONSIN.

WIRE-FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HAIR-PIN MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1919.

Original application filed February 5, 1918, Serial No. 215,500. Dividedand this application filed May 27,

1918. Serial No. 236,812.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER P. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State oflVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inlVirc-Feeding Mechanism for Hair-Pin Machines; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in means for feedingan endless piece of wire to any preferred operating mechanism, but isparticularly directed to means for feeding wire in hair pin formingmachines, such as is illustrated in my copending application Serial No.215500, filed February 5, 1918. In fact the present application has beendivided from said pending application.

This invention has for its object to provide mechanism which will bepositive in action, efiicient and automatic in operation, and economicalin use.

An additional object is to provide means whereby the wire may be moveddifferent distances depending upon the length of the legs of the hairpin or other article to be formed therefrom.

A still further object is to provide simply constructed mechanism forcarrying out the foregoing aims and one which can be. readily mountedupon various types of machines.

Various other obvious objects and advan tages which naturally arise fromthe improved structure are also contemplated, such structure beingillustrated in its preferred form in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents a vertical transverse sectional view takensubstantially on the plane of the line 1-1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the invention, and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View through the parts shownin Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to these drawings wherein similar referencecharacters indicate like parts throughout the views, the numeral 1denotes a portion of a work table of a hair pin forming machine in whichthe several operating and actuating mechanisms used in the formation ofa hair pin are mounted, the present invention being limited to the wirefeeding mechanism thereof.

In applying my invention to the work table 1 over which the endless wirelV longitudinally moves. the same is provided with an elongatedlongitudinally disposed opening 2, the opposite side walls of the sameeach having a track in the form of a channeled bar 3 secured thereto.Between these bars and slidable longitudinally thereof is a carriage 4,the same being in the nature of a block having laterally and oppositelyex tending ribs 5 for sliding engagement in the channels 6 of saidguides.

The carriage 4 is provided with upwardly and longitudinally extendingflanges 7 to form a channel through which the wire lV moves as indicatedmost clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, said carriage forming one element of awire gripping mechanism, the cooperating element of which comprises abell crank lever S pivoted between said flanges as at 9 and having onearm 10 positioned in said channel. The lower face at the free end ofthis arm 10 is serrated or roughened for engagement with the wire W, thelatter being gripped between said face and a similar roughened face of ahardened contact mem her 11 disposed in the bottom of the channel of thecarriage.

The other arm 12 of the bell crank lever S has an enlarged opening 13formed therethrough adjacent the pivot 9 to receive said wire \V, andthe free end portion is elongated and in the form of a cylindrical stem14. This stem is slidably and rotatably disposed in the vertical bore ofa head 15 that is pivoted at 16 on the outer end of a sleeve 17 Thissleeve in turn is slidable and rotatable on a cylindrical crank arm 18,the latter being preferably formed integrally with and extendedlaterally from a collar 19 which is fixed on the lower end of a verticalrock shaft 20.

From the drawings it will be noted that the arm 12 of the bell cranklever extends below the table 1 and that the other clements, includingthe head 15, the sleeve 17, the crank arm 18 and the collar 19 aresimilarly located. The rock shaft 20 extends through the table 1 and isjournally mounted in an elongated bearing housing 21 carried thereby;the upper end of this rock shaft has a collar 22, similar to the collar19, fixed thereto from which an upper crank arm 23 projects.

A pulley wheel 24 having a convex periphery is slidably and rotatablymounted on the upper crank arm 23 and is designed to have the concavedperiphery of an eccen trio '25 engaged therewith. This eccentric 25 issplined. on a shaft 26 located above the table 1 and positioned parallelthereto. It is obvious that as the eccentric rotates the crank arm 23will be moved toward and away from the shaft 26, and that further, bymoving the eccentric longitudinally of the shaft to dispose the pulleywheel 2 1 different distances from the free end of the crank arm 23, theshaft 20 will be rocked different amounts corresponding with theposition of said pulley Wheel.

Inasmuch as the carriage 1 is connected with the rock shaft 20, themovement of the latter will cause the former to be shiftedlongitudinally between its tracks 3, such movement being from right toleft when the machine is viewed from the direction indicated by Fig. 3.Said carriage is shifted in the opposite direction or returned toitsoriginal positlion by a plurality of contrac-- tile springs 27, one endof each of which is secured to the table 1 or any other stationary objeet and the other endto the freeend of an arm 28 fixed to the lower end.of the rock shaft 20. A plurality of the springs 27 is provided in caseone or more should break during the operation of the machine.

The gripping of the Wire V by the bell crank 8 and the release thereoftakes place automatically upon movement of the carriage 4; in differentdirections. That is to say when the carriage is moving toward theright-hand end of the machine as viewed in Fig. 3, the gripping end ofthe horizontal arm 10 of the bell crank Sand the contact member 11 willbe inactive and the wire will slide between the same; on the other handwhen said carriage is moved'toward the lefthand end of the machine thewire is gripped and pulled in the same direction. This result isaccomplished merely by the provision of said bell crank, thismemberbeing so pivoted that any force which [is applied to the end ofthe arm 12 will cause the same to rock and therefore actuate the otheror gripping \arm 10. Therefore inasmuch as the direction of force asapplied to the arm 12 by the crank 18 is from one direction when thecarriage is movingtoward the right and from the reverse direction whenit is traveling toward the left, the proper movements of the grippingarm 10 will take place automatically. As hereinbefore indicated,shifting of the eccentric 25 on its shaft 26 will cause the rock shaft20 to be oscillated diiferent degrees, this arrangement being providedso that hair plins or other articles of different lengths may be made onthe same machine.

It being desirable to have the carriage stop at a predetermined point,especially when moved toward the right, the same is provided with aspning-pressed detent 29 which is adapted 'to cooperate with one or morenotches formed in a locking bar 80.

the position of the notches. In this manner the carriage will alwaysstop at the necessary point even though there is considerable freedom ofmovement between the parts which connects said carriage with the rockshaft 20. Said spring pressed detents 29 also yieldably opposingmovement of the carriage inwardly from its limits of reciprocatingmovement, and thereby insuring actuationof the gripping member formed bythe lever 8, prior to movement of the car riage.

Various minor changes may be made in the form and proportion of theseveral parts of the invention without departing from or sacrificing anyof the principles and advantages thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire feeding mechanism including a reciprocativecarriage, a membermounted on said carriageand movable with respect thereto "into and fromwire gripping position, means connected with said member for moving thesame into and from gripping position and for reciprocating the carriagesubsequent to such movements of the gripping member, a stationarylockingbar having a pair of spaced locking means, and a cooperative lockingelement on the carriage to engage with either of said locking means tooppose movement of the carriage at its limits of reciprocatlve travel'toinsure actuation of said gripping member prior to movement of saidcarriage.

. 2. A wire feeding mechanism including a reciprocative carriage, anangle lever pivoted at its angle to the carriage, one arm of the leverbeing engageable with the carriage to grip wire thereagainst, the otherarm of the lever being provided with a wire guiding passage therethroughadjacent the pivot of the lever, and means engaging said other arm ofthe lever for rocking the lever and reciprocating the carriage.

3. A wire feeding mechanism including a table provided with an elongatedslot, tracks at the sides of the slots, a carriage slidable on saidtracks,a rock shaft journaled in the table, one end being extended belowthe latter, means for rocking said shaft, an angle lever pivoted tothecarriage and having one arm engageable on the carriage to grip wirethereagainst, the other arm of said lever depending through the slotbelow the table, and a crank connection beneath the table andconnectedwith the last mentioned arm of the lever and theextended end ofthe rock shaft.

a. A wire feeding mechanism including a reciprocating carriage adaptedto grip wire upon movement in one direction, a rock shaft, an operativeconnection between said rock shaft and the carriage for reciprocatingthe carriage upon rocking of the shaft, a drive shaft, a cam disk on thedrive shaft, a crank arm on the rock shaft and independent of the disk,and means yieldably urging said crank arm toward the cam disk and intoengagement therewith.

5. A wire feeding mechanism including a reciprocating carriage adaptedto grip wire upon movement in one direction, a rock shaft, an operativeconnection between said rock shaft and the carriage for reciprocatingthe carriage upon rocking of the shaft, a drive shaft, a cam disk on thedrive shaft, means for adjusting said cam disk longitudinally of theshaft, a crank arm on the rock shaft, and means yieldably urging saidcrank arm toward the cam disk.

6. A wire feeding mechanism including a reciprocating carriage adaptedto grip Wire upon movement in one direction, a rock shaft, an operativeconnection between said rock shaft and the carriage for reciprocatingthe carriage upon rocking of the shaft, a drive shaft, a cam disk on thedrive shaft having its peripheral cam surface transversely concave,means for adjusting the cam disk longitudinally on the shaft, a crankarm on the rock shaft, a pulley slidable and rotatable on said crank armand having a convex periphery engageable in the concavity of theperiphery of the cam disk, and means yieldably urging said roller tosuch engagement.

7. A wire feeding mechanism including a reciprocative carriage adaptedto grip wire upon movement in one direction, a rock shaft, an operativeconnection between said rock shaft and the carriage for reciprocatingthe latter upon rocking of the former, a drive shaft, a drive wheelfixed on said drive shaft, means for adjusting said drive Wheellongitudinally of the drive shaft, a crank arm on the rock shaft, apulley slidable and rotatable on said crank arm, and means for normallyretaining the pulley and the periphery of the drive wheel in engagement.

8. A wire feeding mechanism including a reciprocative carriage adaptedto grip wire upon movement in one direction, a rock shaft, an operativeconnection between said rock shaft and the carriage for reciprocatingthe latter upon rocking of the former, a drive shaft, a cam disk on thedrive shaft and rotatable therewith, a crank arm on the rock shaft, apulley slidable and rotatable on said crank arm, and means for retainingthe pulley in engagement with the periphery of the cam disk.

- In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand atAppleton, in the county of Outagamie, and State of Visconsin.

HOMER P. SMITH.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0."

